Saturday, January 26, 2008

India's Historic 59th Republic Day News

"New Delhi: India celebrates its 59th Republic Day on Saturday. It was on January 26, 1950, that the Constitution of India came into force and the country declared itself a Republic.

The date was officially chosen as Republic Day because it was on January 26, 1930, that the Indian National Congress symbolically declared Poorna Swaraj, or complete independence from Britain.

The grand Republic Day Parade in New Delhi started at 0930 hrs IST on Saturday morning from Raisina Hills near the Rashtrapati Bhavan in and made its way to the Red Fort.

A multi-layer security ring was put in place at Rajpath where Pratibha Patil, the country's first woman President, unfurled the Tricolour and took the salute of marching contingents.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the chief guest at the parade, in which the defence forces showcased their latest weaponry. The indigenously developed T-90 battle tanks, the Indian version of cruise missile Brahmos and surface-to-surface missile Agni were the among the arms on display...." - Source: IBNLive.com

"The 59th Republic Day Parade Saturday will go down in history for more ways than one. Not only did President Pratibha Patel become the first woman to take the salute, the event also served to sharply contrast the mannerisms of Patil and her predecessor, APJ Abdul Kalam.

Given his bubbly nature, Kalam would invariably interact animatedly with the foreign guest of honour who would be seated on the president's right.

Last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin was the chief guest, Kalam excitedly pointed to the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that India and Russia have jointly developed as it rolled past the saluting dais...." - Source: Hindustan Times

"New Delhi: A grand parade showcasing India's military might, vibrant economy and rich diversity marked the 59th Republic Day here Saturday, with President Pratibha Patil becoming the first woman to take the salute.

From early morning, a mass of humanity thronged Rajpath, the magnificent two-mile boulevard that stretches from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate war memorial, and also all the way to the Mughal Red Fort in Old City to witness the 105-minute event on one of the coldest Republic Days in recent memory.

Swathed in woollens of all varieties, from Patil's beige-coloured long coat to jackets, shawls and even blankets, the spectators watched in awe as war machines like tanks rolled down along with marching contingents of the three wings of the military, paramilitary forces, colourful floats and school students.... - Source: Indiainfo.com

India's 59th Republic Day - Fast Facts

President Pratibha Patil becoming the first woman to take the salute at Republic Day Events

President Pratibha Patel become the first woman to take the salute at Republic day parade at an event in which nearly 7,000 men, women and school students took part in the parade

French President Nicolas Sarkozy - Guest of Honor at India's 59th Republic Day Parade on his maiden visit to India

Event was watched keenly by French President Sarkozy, the guest of honour who arrived here Friday on his maiden visit to India that included a quick trip to the Taj Mahal.

Initial Annual Production Target: 250,000 units to rise later to 350,000. PRICE: Basic model price 100,000 rupees (2,500 dollars) plus tax and transport costs, which will bring on the road price to at least 120,000 rupees. The price of two deluxe models that will include air-conditioning and other features to be announced later.

Nearest Domestic Car Rival: Maruti 800, part of Japanese-owned Suzuki Maruti stable whose base model sells for about 4,800 dollars -- nearly double the price of the Nano. Bajaj Scooters - India's 2nd Largest 2 wheeler company also wants to launch its cheapest car with Nissan-Renault in 2-3 years time.

Sales: Tata will focus on selling the car in India for the next two to three years, before eyeing Latin American and Southeast Asian markets.

Market: India's car market is a huge draw because car penetration is just seven per 1,000 people, compared to 550 per 1,000 in such countries as Germany or 476 in France, according to the Society of Indian Automobiles.

Company Details: Tata Motors is India's largest vehicle company with revenues of 7.2 billion dollars in 2006-2007. It is the leader in commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses, and the second largest in passenger vehicles. There are over four million Tata vehicles on Indian roads.

Tata Nano Interiors

Tata Nano's Cost Price

It is priced at around 1 lakh Rs plus 26,000 Rs. As Tatas believe it was not possible to achieve 1,00,000 Rs.(Rupees) round figure. For Foriegn export, it will cost around $2500-$3200 (1,26,000 Rupees).

Tata Nano's Drawbacks Disadvantages - Safety Compromised

Foreign market may have welcomed this new cheap export car from India. People may use it inside the city for its small size it could be parked anywhere!! But this nice package comes with its little set of drawbacks. Guess people can spend that small amount of 1 Lac Rs. for which tatas may not get huge margins guess 10,000 Rs. per unit sold! People spending 1,26,000 Rs. can spend little bit more to get more stable and successful model of Maruti Suzuki 800 priced at 1,90,000 Rs.(Non-A.C. model)

Following are Drawbacks of Tata Nano:

No Hand Brake.

Engine at the rear. So no protection at the front in case of accident.

Top speed - 90 Kmph (Kilometer per hour). Thats why it would be just a city car more or less, no long drives! Pity!!. So, it would not be popular among youth who need speed which they get in Bikes.

Made up of low grade metal - Aluminium

Mileage: 20 Kmpl in spite of being light weight

Low Quality interiors - Seat cover are made up of leather.

No spare Tire.

Small sized Dashboard which can't safeguard against collision from front.

Low Priced gearbox from Kinetic Scooter Company.

Very ugly interiors.

Seats uncomfortable much like a Three-Wheeler.

Emission norms not followed properly.

Not powerful, Slow Pickup (0-20 Kmph)

Little Advantage in Hot Places: It has an AC (Air Conditioner) I guess!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Sony Ericsson W350 - A Low-End Walkman Phone

The W350 is low-end Walkman phone with TrackID, Bluetooth Stereo Streaming, and no 3G. The only thing that sets this apart from other low-end phones is its fairly slick design and front-facing media keys.